Title: The End and the Consummation of Life
end and life
Matthew 16:21-28, 11th Sunday after Pentecost, August 28, 2011
The problem is that Jesus, whom they believe is the Christ, was crucified. It was impossible to explain to people the crucified Christ. Today we believe in the cross as the way of salvation, but it was completely different in the days of Jesus and in the early Christian days. Paul describes the situation precisely in 1 Corinthians 1:23. Christ crucified is a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. Think about it. Christ means the Messiah, that is, the Savior. You really need to save humanity. But he died on the cross. It is like a person who came to rescue a person in distress and died in an accident. No one can acknowledge such a dead person as a savior. Even today, there are very few people outside the church who believe in Jesus as the Christ. Even people in the church often misunderstand Jesus or the crucifixion. So it was today, and so was the early Christian era.
Peter's protest
The writer of Matthew dealt with this situation in detail in today's sermon text, Matthew 16:21-28. Hearing Peter's confession, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” Jesus began to speak against this identity. He prophesied that he would go up to Jerusalem and suffer at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and that after death he would rise again on the third day.
Jesus explains what man's work is in verses 24-26. Man's work is to “save my life” (verse 25). It is to find a way where possible so that we do not suffer and die. It is a way to accumulate wealth, power, and honor that can protect you. That is the way to gain “the whole world” (verse 26). It is very reasonable and realistic. You need money to get a good education and get good medical benefits. If South Korea has a lot of money, it may be possible to handle not only free meals but also free education and free medical care without any noise. We spend our lives getting those things. Jesus is saying the exact opposite. “Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (verse 25). It is God's work. Man's work eventually leads to the loss of life, and only God's work can lead to life. How does this explanation sound? Do you understand? No can you agree?
To understand these words accurately, we need to know what life Jesus is talking about. This life is expressed as ‘life’ in today’s text. There are two Greek words for life. Joe and Psyche are that. For example, Jo in John 14:6 refers to the general life, whereas Psyche in the text above refers to the inner life. The reason the Greek uses these different words is because they do not yet know the reality of life. It is still the same today. In a broad sense, Zoe and Psyche can be translated equally as life. According to the saying, “If you gain the whole world and lose your soul,” it is of no use. Gaining the whole world and gaining life are two different things. That's the right story. Even if you take stock of all the companies in Korea, if you hold your breath for 5 minutes, you will die. To focus only on gaining the whole world is to ‘save my life’ in verse 25, and it is the work of the person in verse 23.
Man's work is relatively clear, whereas God's work is not. If man's work loses life, God's work must gain life. That is exactly what the saying, “If I lose my life for my sake, I will find it” (verse 25). You don't just lose your life, you lose it for the sake of Jesus. Does this mean martyrdom? In early Christianity, such things were not only commonplace, they were repeated in two thousand years of Christian history. However, these words of Jesus do not necessarily refer only to martyrdom, but fundamentally refer to a life of denying oneself and taking up the cross as verse 24 says. This is the opposite of trying to save my life. Everyone's life is different. Each must choose. But the key is self-absolutization, liberation from self-worship, and following Jesus. That's when you get life.
kindness and glory
Even this life may be vague to some. Those who took up their cross and followed Jesus suffered much more. In fact, many people lost their lives. The life Jesus said he would find is different. This life is eschatological. Now our life is free. Good people and bad people alike die and rot. It is a sign of life, but not the ultimate life. True life comes from the end. This fact is recorded in verse 27. “The Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of the Father, and at that time will he repay each one according to what he has done.” The expression “Son of Man” here refers to the Messiah who will come in the end. The glory of the Father is the ultimate power of life. Angels refer to messengers who exercise that power. To repay each person according to their deeds means that life is either granted or rejected, depending on whether you are thinking only of human things or God's things.
Dear saints, our Lord Jesus Christ died in the most shameful way. God raised him from the dead on the third day. The resurrection of Jesus is a historical preoccupation with the eschatological perfection of life. Life, the Lord alone, is given only through Jesus Christ. Don't be afraid to lose a lot in the world. Do not boast that you have won the whole world. There is a fact that is more important than that, or absolutely important. The light of the end, when life will be completed, is shining on us. Amen.